Dough: The folks at Kelly Scientific are looking for someone in Dallas, TX to work on dough technology. They want either a food scientist or a chemical engineer. (Not much experience required, I think.) Look, dude, if you can reproduce Pizza Hut's crust on multi-ton scale, you should take this job. Heck, I'll pay you to. (Full disclosure: I don't eat Pizza Hut that much.)

Back to drugs: CoNCERT Pharmaceuticals (dunno what happened to the "o") is looking for an analytical chemist for their CMC division. Ph.D. with +2 years experience, Boston area.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

So while we're at it, let me point out another recent position that is rather odd and listed by the brainiacs at Kelly Scientific. How would you, chemist, like to be a "Client Service Representative" where the employee "talks to doctor offices... and notifies clients of abnormal or repeat test results." What the heck kind of doctor's office has outsources the notification of abnormal test results?!?

That sounds like fun -- do you think being a TA in grad school gives you experience with that sort of thing? "Um, I'm sorry to tell you this, but this NMR of your lab product shows that well, um, it's crap." (Okay, maybe I don't have the greatest bedside manner.)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

I've been giving Kelly Scientific Resources' entries in the ACS Careers database a lot of crap, but I think it's worth it. The job database is a prime resource for ACS members; certainly, I valued it when I was looking for a position! It strikes me as rather disrespectful of KSR to continually post entries that are (at best) tangentially related to chemistry, such as "Doctor of Veterinary Medicine", "Facilities Engineer" and a position that suggested "RN License preferred."

Even more disrespectful are the obvious cut-and-paste jobs that are done for the ACS database. Entire job ads are shoved into the box without any thought for formatting and positions are posted with obvious typographical errors. I have reproduced one of them below and marked them helpfully (and traditionally) with a [sic].

Kelly Scientific Resources, a premier global scientific staffing company, is currently recruiting enthusiastic candidates for a long-term contract positon [sic] as a Regulatory Specialist, in the St. Louis, MO area. The ideal candidate for this regulatory positon [sic] requies [sic] experience with the WERCS Database System and with MSDS generation.

That's some positon!

As this is supposed to be a quantitative blog, I've counted the last 50 positions posted by KSR (beginning with the last position marked July 28) on the ACS database and looked at their job requirements. To quote an ACS membership application, a full member is someone who has a degree or certification in the chemical or related sciences. The 50 positions break down as follows:

Over 50% of the last 50 positions posted by KSR are, in my opinion, unrelated to chemists or chemistry. Is ACS paying these people money? I certainly hope not. Additionally, if ACS is receiving money for this, is this onslaught of job spam worth wading through?

Okay, I'm done now. Thanks for reading this far.

UPDATE: In the comments, Sam of EverydayScientist has a great idea: "just filter your RSS feed to exclude "kelly" from the list (using Yahoo! Pipes or the like)."

Waste of time watch: Kelly Scientific continues its torrid pace of publishing on the ACS Careers database, with 72 positions in the last week. They are also continuing their habit of putting out tons of somewhat relevant positions (lots of GC/MS, LC/MS-type jobs -- great work, if you can get it) with jobs that make clear that no one, no one is reading these before they make it on there.

Not much (here): A big tip of the hat to Ash Stevens (looking for a director of analytical services); other than that one position (in Detroit, MI), all the rest of this week's positions are in Asia. WuXi is still looking for sea turtles, so is Roche.

Great title!: Eli Lilly has a nice ad up this week for a Senior Medicinal Chemist position in Singapore. While that's not such a big deal, the ad starts off with "The senior drug hunter leads a team of chemists to deliver high quality leads or drug candidates..." It'd be interesting to get a poll of experienced med-chem types together and see how many of them referred to themselves as "drug hunters."

Small college of the week: The University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON, Canada, student population 26,457, SA-LUTE!) is looking for a "Canada Excellence Research Chair in Quantum Information." Good Lord, I have no idea what that means. (I think it has something to do with quantum computing.)

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Including July 21, there have been 22 new positions posted to the ACS Careers website:

Vertex, wow: In the last two days, Vertex has posted 11 new positions, pretty much at all levels, although there seems to be a bias towards experience. Impressive.

Pfizer, interesting: If you're a long-time searcher of the online job boards, you've probably noticed a "Nucleoside Chemist" position at Pfizer's Cambridge site, the RTC. I never clicked on it (not a nucleoside fella), but I believe it was a Ph.D. position. Well, now they're looking for a B.S./M.S.-level associate in that same group. Looks like 1 year's experience required.

UPDATE: No, the Ph.D.-level group leader oligonucleotide chemist (not 'nucleoside', dummy! -ed.) position is STILL open.

Uh, okay: NYU has posted a position labeled "clinical teaching", which is a little odd. It appears to be a lab lecturer position (Ph.D. preferred, but all levels welcome.) "Clinical"? Anyone have an answer for that one?

NMR for MIT?: MIT is looking for a B.S./M.S.-level staff associate for their NMR lab. Sounds like a great place to learn, and you might be able to catch a Red Sox game or two (if that's your thing.)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Sure, we all get preconceived notions about companies/positions but [we] should not be so closed-minded since there are likely matches for some chemists and hidden potential in others. I know, for instance, that (from on-campus interviewing many years ago), Clorox used to be involved in more that "cleaning products" and had dedicated R&D efforts for Industrial Scale applications so [I] presume still may be the case here.

...as indeed, there are (were?) diverse job opportunities for chemists out there at companies like Clorox. I have even known chemist[s] employed [as] clinical lab techs, formulators and QC/QA types so [I was] reacting to that too but [I] didn't jump on you specifically there (likewise it is typically easier/cheaper to create a single generic ad that is run in various publication that might be geared for different audiences). I think there is a widespread view that exists in US in that chemists often get sold on "working in academia" as the highest calling then failing that, [they] can be "pharmaceutical med chemist", [which is] acceptable as [a] fall back.

There is a world of chemistry and chemists out there. While medicinal chemistry and process chemistry positions in Big Pharma are certainly among the most desirable (pay/prestige-wise), I wish to make it clear: While I can be quite snarky/jokey about certain positions, I do not denigrate any position, no matter how humble. I do look askance at the proliferation of postdocs, as there does seem to be some level of either exploitation, abuse or futility with it all.

The Great Whatever of 2007-whenever and changes in Big Pharma, I fear, will bring strange new respect to many chemistry jobs, be they chemical/industrial, small company, overseas contracts, contract research, governmental or academic. Here's what I hope: that chemists be safe/protected from the machinations above, that people who wish to stay at the bench can, and that they can support their families on the income from those bench jobs. May it forever be so.

A really fascinating look at using a rotovap to perform infusions and the such with food technology is here. Love, love, love this. A big tip of the hat to the French Culinary Institute's tech/science blog.

What does the feddle gubmint, in the form of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, think of our field? Find out here.

A great little history of some great reference books of chemistry is here. I remember how awesome a CRC Handbook was (I believe I had the 65th edition), even though I never used 95% of it. Sigh.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Good morning! Including July 20, there have been over 250 new jobs posted on the ACS Careers website.

Kelly Scientific Resources, UR DOIN IT RONG: Did you see that number above? Yes, 250 positions were posted by Kelly Scientific. So, CJ, how many of those positions were relevant to chemists and/or chemical engineers? What's that you say? Maybe 50% -- wow, wouldn't that be a waste of time for ACS members?

Among the jobs posted by the morons at KSR: "clinical lab tech", "fromulation [sic] chemist", "overnight quality inspector" (with a B.S. in the biological sciences -- heh) and "animal care technician." What part of American Chemical Society do you not understand?

Bet you get household products!: The Clorox Company is looking for Ph.D. chemists to work in their product R&D division. Sounds like fun -- may I suggest a tiny mop for those hard-to-clean toddler faces?

Summer dog days come early: Don't know what it is, but this was another bad week. 2 ads, both for folks with more than 5 years of experience, I'm guessing. So if you're interested in being a Research Fellow in Particle Sizing for Merck -- this is your week.

No small college of the week: RWTH Aachen is one of the most prominent technical universities in Germany, according to Wikipedia. So I don't think they count as a "small college" -- but if you have expertise in "nanostructured catalysts", this job might be for you.

(Snort): There's going to be a special "Careers in Chemistry" issue of C&EN on August 10. While I look forward to this (maybe I should make a prediction as to how the Index will look...), I found the accompanying text to be a little bit depressing:

Over the years, chemists have weathered recessions that have often resulted in abrupt changes in their career trajectories. In the Aug. 10 issue, C&EN reports on chemists who have made it through the difficult times in the 1970s and 1980s -- they offer important career advice to those struggling in today's challenging job market and reveal details of their career paths. They also provide insights on how they achieved top positions in the industry and even share unexpected silver linings.

Forgive me, but I'm a little skeptical as to the value of the silver linings. Sigh.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Good morning! Including July 15, there have been 28 new jobs posted to the ACS Careers database.

Don't call it a comeback, but...: Advertising positions in the last 3 days are: Novartis, Genentech, Lilly (+), Agensys(+), Boehringer Ingelheim(+) and Vertex.

Have you checked a calendar?: The process division at Lilly is looking for a summer intern. Note to Lilly -- typically, July 15 is an unusual time to be looking for a summer job. 2 openings, looks like they are interested in all degree levels for a "short term industrial experience." I'll resist the obvious crack.

And another one!: The lengthily titled "Agensys, a subsidiary of Astellas Pharma" is (among other positions) looking for a "purification engineer" for mAb purfication applications. Sounds promising and Santa Monica seems like a lovely place. B.S./M.S. level with 1-3 years of work experience.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

As you can see to the left, the poll question "What do you think of bench chemists who get MBAs" has closed and the results are as follows:

"They're smart to get out of the lab -- it's a dead end": 46% (18 people)

"It's a good idea to expand your skill set": 20% (8 people)

"Good riddance. If you don't like the bench, get out!": 17% (7 people)

"Don't do it. The MBA is a brain-ectomy": 10% (4 people)

"It helps with climbing in a smaller company": 5% (2 people)

Overall, it appears that Chemjobber readers are positive on the idea of chemists getting an MBA.

==

One Chemjobber reader who seems to be very positive about MBAs is someone we'll call L.A., who is a EHS manager in industry. L.A. and I corresponded via e-mail; this post has been edited by me and run by L.A. for accuracy.

Why did you get your MBA? What kind of MBA program was it? Do you feel "transformed" from being a science-type, or just you're a science-type with a bigger skill set?

I pursued the MBA as a stepping stone for my career. Without it, my career would be purely technical and limited in mobility. The MBA is not the means to get away from environmental science; I want to be able to develop my personal interests in environmental science and have a good job, too. Having the MBA makes me more versatile and appealing to employers I admire.

The MBA program I chose allows students to individualize their degree according to their professional needs. It offered a thesis option and electives, which is different than most of your "pre-packaged" MBAs. All classes used Socratic method, another big difference.

Did you enjoy the coursework? What do you think was most valuable?

I did enjoy the MBA coursework. In particular, the finance and public relations courses were fascinating. It was nice to study alongside mature professionals. They brought their own experiences and points of view to the curriculum. It reminded me of the good qualities liberal arts graduates bring to an organization. All of my course instructors were from industry, no career academics.

The most valuable aspect of the chemistry/MBA combination is the scarcity of people who hold both degrees.

Where do you see your future? Do you see yourself as an EHS-er over the long term?

At present, EHS is a stable and rewarding field. Environmental science gives me happiness for doing something worthwhile and meaningful. As for the future, I may not always be employed in industry and I could see myself working in different capacities for organizations that apply science to promote resource conservation.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Including July 8 to July 14, there have been 32 new jobs posted on the ACS Careers database.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!: Cubist Pharmaceuticals has posted an ad for research associates to do medicinal chemistry. That's right -- more than one, baby. If you want to do med-chem with "little or no physical demands" (but what about lifting those heavy 4L bottles of DCM?), this is the job for you!

Savannah River, please go away: A gazillion positions. Question: does the American Chemical Society's careers website seem like a good place to find a research microbiologist? Bueller? Bueller?

Like bailing out the ocean with a teaspoon...: The South Coast Air Quality Management District ("one of largest and most sophisticated environmental compliance agencies in the country") are looking for air quality chemists. There are three spots, one of which does not require any experience. While monitoring air pollution in Orange County, CA does not appear to be the easiest job in the world, it certainly pays pretty well... (60+ a year...)

Prevaricators for the Truth: While the subhead may be a little harsh, I find it ironic that Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is seeking an experienced patent agent in New Jersey. Hmph.

What is the unemployment rate among chemists? Surprising that I haven't asked such a fundamental question, but an assertion by Kinetix on "In the Pipeline" that the current US unemployment rate for chemists was greater than 25% got me thinking and looking.

According to the ACS salary survey, the rate of unemployment ("unemployed/seeking employment) amongst chemists was 2.3% in 2008. If you expand the definition to include part-time workers and postdocs (heh), you get a rate of 7.5%. While I personally think that's stretching it, there's some precedent, in that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has a U6 unemployment rate that includes "discouraged workers", "marginally attached workers" and part-time workers who wish to work fulltime. Considering U6 unemployment in the US is 16.8% while the official unemployment rate is 9.5%, I can see a disbelief of the ACS' remarkably low number of 2.3%.*

I expect that the number for the 2009 salary survey will show a "U3-like" unemployment rate among ACS members at 5%, with the "U6-like" total rate around ~12%.

Twenty-five percent? I don't think so.

*It's worth noting that I haven't been able to find other sources about chemist unemployment, like a BLS number. Anyone have an idea?

This is not a nice change: There is one (and only one) industrial position posted in this week's issue. It's for a master's-level person with a degree in biology, biophysics or physics. $%@%#@%$#%#.

No small college of the week: There's one (and only one) academic position, and it's for a lecturer spot at USC. Much as I could say stuff about the University of Southern California (oh, and I could), it's not a small college.

Friday, July 10, 2009

If you're looking around for the first time, let me try to explain what I'm up to. I publish the Chemjobber C&EN Index, where I attempt to log and track the job ads in the back of Chemical and Engineering News. As you can imagine, things haven't been looking good recently. I also track the ACS Careers website with the Daily Pump Trap (de-emphasize the daily.)

Among other things, I've been trackingthestoryofSheharbano "Sheri" Sangji, a research associate at UCLA who died from burns suffered during the use of tBuLi. I have yet to do much original reporting, but I have been trying to offer the bench chemist's perspective of this tragic case, especially as the details of the reaction she was running have been slowly trickling out.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Good morning! Including July 3rd, there have been 27 new positions posted on the ACS Careers website.

Travel the world, work for baht?: The Siam Cement Group (I wonder what they do?) is looking for a Ph.D. polymer scientist to do olefin research in Thailand. Man, that sounds like fun. Wait -- no relocation. Sigh. (How many folks in Thailand read the ACS Careers website?)

Gotta start somewhere: The pharmaceutical industry hasn't exactly been clamoring for synthetic chemists, but Genentech is looking for a B.S./M.S. medicinal chemist with one year of experience doing chemistry. I'd pay at least 20 bucks to leaf through the C.V.s that'd come in for that job.

Holy stimulus, Batman!: Savannah River National Laboratories is again doing its darnedest to hire folks (and pay as much money as possible to ACS.) There have been 16 positions posted by them in the last three days.

Well, this is a nice change: Big, full pager from Merck, lots of positions.

"Belong to the European top": The Technical University of Denmark is opening the European Graduate School on Sustainable Energy Technology, with 6 postdocs. Not quite sure what I think of this, but it certainly is fashionable.

The trouble with articles: The University of Ottawa is looking for a catalysis chair, which is nice. Their motto is "l'universite canadienne", which is translated as "Canada's university." Wow -- how's that for a bold claim?

Small college of the week: The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Socorro, NM, student population: 1846 -- SA-LUTE!) is looking for an assistant professor in organic chemistry. You'd be able to eat green chile stew on a regular basis, which is a treat.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

UCLA has put out a press release, where they withdraw the appeal of the Cal/OSHA judgment against them on the case of Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji, the research associate who died of burns suffered from a t-butyl lithium fire. I find the following paragraph of the release to be remarkable:

An experienced and skilled chemist, Ms. Sangji had in October 2008 safely and successfully performed the same experiment that went terribly awry two months later.Reed said Ms. Sangji’s laboratory notes were persuasive evidence of her skills: Each entry is detailed and complete, with the times, temperatures, calculations and volumes noted very carefully and consistently. Reed said the campus continues to believe that she was using an appropriate method, but the plunger on the syringe she was using came apart, spilling an air-sensitive chemical that ignited her clothing.

Really? An "experienced and skilled" chemist? Time for one of my favorite questions: compared to what? According to whom? I find this to be a eyebrow raising assertion, especially since I have a difficult time pronouncing myself an "experienced and skilled" chemist. (Ph.D., ~10 years doing organic chemistry full time -- probably about 7 years more than Sheri Sangji.) Mr. Reed, am I an experienced chemist? Do you hand out certificates for your awards? May I have one?

Now we have a date on the last time she had done a tBuLi reaction (Oct. 2008), which means that it had been nearly 3 months before she had done one again.

I am also amused to learn that "the campus" believes that she was using an appropriate method. Really? Who is "the campus"? How did this syringe passively "come apart"? Are we asserting that the syringe was faulty?

Finally, it's clear that Vice Chancellor Reed has access to Ms. Sangji's notebook. Let us see if Mr. Reed is correct -- publish the notebook page of the fatal reaction.It's the only way to introduce facts (as opposed to assertions) about what she was doing that day.

This is the worst part of any case -- the lawyers have descended (or ascended, depending on where you think they're coming from and which analogy you're using...) If Kevin Reed is now making assertions about chemistry, I doubt we'll hear much from Prof. Harran. The "lawyering up", spinning and peeing in the jury pool has begun fulltime.

Including July 26, there have been 28 new jobs posted to the ACS Careers database.

Stimulus, ho!: Once again, Savannah River National Labs is effectively utilizing its share of the stimulus by hiring an analytical postdoc, with a potential to stay on afterwards. Hope you like working with nuclear materials!

Bet you can get good Indian cuisine: TCG Lifesciences is looking for computational chemistry-types (Ph.D. level) in Kolkata, India. Hmmm. Hmmm.

What happens there?: New Mexico Highlands University is looking for a visiting professor of chemistry (will consider ABD), which sounds interesting. It's in Las Vegas (fun!), New Mexico (oh.)

Hmmm: So, the jobs outlook doesn't look all that great this week. Basically, of all 20 positions, there are NO entry-level positions. The least experienced you need to be to get a job this week is 5-10 years of experience (with Takeda/Millenium.) A ton of jobs in Shanghai...

Engrish FTW: It's not nice, but it's probably true: why doesn't Shanghai ChemPartner and WuXi AppTec advertise in C&EN in Chinese? Honestly -- how many applications do they get from non-Chinese folks? How many non-Chinese work at these companies? It's painful to read copy like "we are looking for experienced candidates who thrive in paced [sic] research organization." These folks can't even cut-and-paste in English -- why bother?

Holy ad space, Batman!: The FDA continues the federal government's habit of buying huge ad space for one position. In similar space for the FDA's ad for a deputy director, Shanghai ChemPartners is trying to hire their full senior management.

Small college of the week: Creighton University (student population: 6,992 - SA-LUTE!) is looking for a general chemistry laboratory instructor. While Omaha is not exactly the most crazed, happenin' town in the US, it's probably a really low cost of living!